Teeth Trivia

If you are like most people, you probably cringe at the thought of a visit to the dentist. Many people fear visiting their dentists even when they have no dental issues.

There are some great fun facts about teeth. You can share some of these facts with your dentist during your next visit.

Fun Facts about teeth

Former US president and Founding Father George Washington wore dentures that were partially made of teeth taken from a hippopotamus! The other dentures were made of ivory and lead.

Babies are usually born without teeth. However, one in every 2000 babies is born with some of its teeth already grown in. In most cases, these teeth are pulled out. The baby then grows a set of baby teeth just like any other baby.

Chewing gum was first developed by the Aztecs. They used to boil down sap from Sapodilla tress also known as chicle. The chicle was then cut up into blocks that were chewed.

Many people in the middle ages believed that donkeys could be used for reliving the pain of toothaches. They believed that if you kissed a donkey, your toothache would be relieved.

People in the middle ages also believed that if you lost a tooth, you could grow another tooth by stealing someone else’s tooth.

Unlike human teeth that stop growing in adulthood, squirrel and rabbit teeth do not stop growing. These animals therefore have to keep gnawing on hard objects to wear down their teeth and stop them from growing too long.

Toothbrushes have not always been in existence. Before the development of the modern toothbrush, people used twigs to clean their teeth. They chewed down the ends of the twigs and used them to clean their teeth.

Did you know that the model used by artist Grant Wood in the painting of the stern faced farmer in his painting ‘American Gothic’ was not a farmer at all? He was in fact Grant Wood’s dentist!

During the life time of the average person, they will have produced up to 100 000 gallons of saliva. That is enough saliva to fill up a bath.

Humans are just like cows. We don’t chew up and down as many people believe. We chew side to side just like cows.

Toothpaste is not a new invention. The Egyptians were known to use a form of toothpaste way back in 5000BC.

Pliers were first developed by the ancient Greeks for tooth extraction.